Moonlight Shadow
by sakurakasai
Summary: Summary: [Oneshot.] Sakura and Sasuke are late returning from a mission. The night is beautiful, but that is used to mask the real dangers. Shadows are cast which could prove to be fatal. However, some learn that through one’s sorrow, another can find hap


**Summary:** Oneshot. Sakura and Sasuke are late returning from a mission. The night is beautiful, but that is used to mask the real dangers. Shadows are cast which could prove to be fatal. However, some learn that through one's sorrow, another can find happiness. Two lone figures stood in the cemetery mourning for the loss of their two friends. SasuSaku AU

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters from Naruto. Sadly enough they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. If I did, I would steal Haku, Gaara, Sasuke, Kiba, etc. I do own the rights to this story, but not the song I used to write it. Nope, that belongs to Groove Coverage.

**A/N: This is my first Naruto fanfic. It is a oneshot. I was inspired at 1:26 am on August 9th by the song 'Moonlight Shadow' by Groove Coverage. I wrote the whole story on paper first, and then I spent all of today typing it. I hope you like it!**

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**Moonlight Shadow**

Two lone figures stood side by side in the cemetery. Both sought comfort in each other after what had happened to their two friends. Both seventeen year olds stood in front of a single tombstone. It was for Uchiha Sasuke. It read:

_Uchiha Sasuke_

_Died: age 17_

"_Carried away by a moonlight shadow."_

"You know," began the one teenager softly, "the last that ever she saw him was on the night of their mission. They were late returning, but no one gave much thought to that." At this point, tears began forming in the girl's eyes. Angrily, she wiped them away, temporarily stemming the flow.

Breathing in a deep shaky breath, she resumed her story. "The night was beautiful. The air was beginning to warm and it smelt of sakura blossoms." With the mention of 'sakura', the tears that were being restrained broke through. They rolled down her face and fell to the earth below, but this time she made no effort to stop them.

"I guess I'm breaking the twenty-fifth rule of shinobi conduct, huh?" she said dejectedly in an attempt to lessen the grief consuming them.

Her companion did not find this amusing however, and continued to stare at the ground.

"No matter what happens, true shinobi must never…ever…show their emotions. The mission is the only priority. Carry that in your heart. And never, never, shed a tear," the girl recited. Then she took several shallow breathes to regain her voice.

"Did you know there was a full moon that night? But the night was cloudy as well, and because of that, there were shadows that the moon couldn't penetrate. If it hadn't been for those shadows maybe…maybe they'd still be here," she finished quietly, unable to speak any longer because of the sobs racking her body.

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**Past: Saturday Night**

Sakura scowled at the boy in front of her. Sasuke was speaking in riddles again. As Sakura immersed herself in herself in her thoughts, Sasuke stopped in a large clearing. Almost as if in a daze, Sakura followed him to the raging river in the middle of the clearing.

Suddenly, Sakura was pulled from her thoughts when Sasuke clapped his hands next to her ear. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her attention to his smug face.

"Did you hear what I said?" he asked smirking. He knew for a fact that she hadn't heard him, but he could still torture her.

A light blush spread across Sakura's face, but she maintained her glare nonetheless. "No," she said angrily. In truth, she had been lost in a riddle that Sasuke had said to her earlier.

"I said we're going to camp here for the night," Sasuke repeated, letting the smirk on his lips grow a bit.

"What? Why?" Sakura asked. Never had Sasuke wanted to rest unless it was an emergency.

"Because," Sasuke said starting to sound annoyed, "our chakra levels are dangerously low and our bodies need rest in order to heal."

Sakura nodded in response. It was then she realized how tired she was. She hadn't slept for twenty-nine hours and had been running on adrenaline alone. Now that enough space had been put between themselves and the enemy, the two teenagers could finally relax.

Lying down, Sakura immediately fell asleep. But a few hours later, she was awoken by the sounds of a fight. Jumping to her feet, she saw two people fighting, while a third stood back watching.

Moonlight filled the clearing and Sakura was able to see what was happening. A few yards away, Sasuke was fighting a man that looked similar to him. The third person was Orochimaru.

Kunais were being thrown with deadly accuracy as well as punches and kicks. Upon noticing Sakura's consciousness, Sasuke sprinted in the opposite direction. Gathering his chakra, he jumped and appeared on the other side of the river.

Orochimaru followed the battle with ease. When he saw Sakura trying to follow Sasuke to help, he decided to step in. Just as Sakura reached the river's edge, he placed the fear paralysis jutsu on her. His plan worked, but he did not expect what happened next.

Sakura stopped short and planted her feet, trying to get a solid stance. She was attempting to get her inner self to fight off the jutsu. She was starting to succeed when she heard a voice in her ear.

Orochimaru leaned over to her ear and said smoothly, "Now, you don't want to ruin this family reunion do you?" He smiled slightly when he saw her concentration slip a bit. "After all," he continued in a soft, malicious voice, "I need Sasuke to prove to me that he is stronger than his brother. Itachi has proven himself to be traitorous to me, so I need Sasuke to take care of him for me. Itachi has been able to evade me for quite sometime, but I've found him now, therefore he has to pay the price."

Orochimaru's smile grew as his words affected Sakura. His talking was distracting Sakura. "It wouldn't be fair to take this opportunity away from Sasuke. He has waited so long to finally have the chance to kill his brother. Now he has that chance. He can avenge his clan. You wouldn't want to take that from him would you?" he hissed quietly.

With this last sentence, Sakura's focus crumbled away. Almost instantly, she sank to the ground as the jutsu began to take its effect on her. Leering, Orochimaru turned on his heel and left. He didn't need to see anymore of the fight, for it was clear who would win.

Sakura's mind struggled to fight off the jutsu. She released what little chakra she had recovered into her mind to help her regain control. Still, this small amount was not enough to help her take control of her body. However, it did allow her to surpass the terrors in her own mind to see glimpses of reality, but it was only for a few seconds.

Through one of these breaks, Sakura saw Itachi standing over Sasuke's unmoving form. Panicking, she urged her body to move, but to no avail. Moments later, Sakura was once again plunged into the horrors that haunted her mind. She needed to block them out and focus on something. Remembering Sasuke, she pulled out a kunai slowly; her hands trembling from the effort of making her body obey her will. She then sliced her palm open and pain washed over her, freeing her mind completely.

Her vision to the outside world returned to her. Far away on the other side of the river, she saw Itachi walking away from a fallen Sasuke. She was about to call out to him when Sasuke struggled to his feet.

"Sakura! Get out of here!" Sasuke yelled. "It's too dangerous!"

But Sakura stood firm, refusing to budge. Itachi, upon hearing this, glanced at Sakura before turning around to face Sasuke once more.

"Ah," he said quietly. "I see you just don't know when to stay down, do you little brother? Your hate has grown, but it isn't strong enough to defeat me. You're too weak."

Itachi reached inside his cloak as Sasuke readied his last kunai. Seeing this, Sakura panicked and started looking for a way over the river. Her chakra was exhausted and her physical strength was almost gone. The river was too deep and too violent to simply cross. In other words, she was stuck.

"Go! Sakura leave! I'll hold him off!" Sasuke yelled again.

A cloud passed over the moon, dimming the light and creating shadows in the clearing. Sakura squinted in hopes of being able to see what was happening.

All she saw were the silhouettes of the kunais, far away on the other side of the river. She saw them being released and heard the clash of metal. Relief washed over her when she heard this sound. It meant that Sasuke had been able to block the attack.

Moonlight bathed the area once again as the clouds passed. Sakura looked at the scene in front of her with disbelief written all over her face. Her assumption was right. Sasuke was able to stop the attack. Four kunais lay on the ground by Sasuke's feet. One of which was his, the other three belonging to Itachi.

Sasuke had deflected three kunais, but Itachi had thrown nine. The other six were deeply embedded in Sasuke's skin and vital organs. Sasuke was dead, killed by six kunais and a man on the run.

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Sakura's body seemed to be moving on its own, her mind too shocked to think. She ran away from the clearing, every step taking her closer to Konoha. She collapsed in the forest as the last of her strength ebbed away. She was still a good ten minutes away from the village. 

As her body rested, her mind caught up to her and the thoughts that were repressed, surfaced again.

"Sasuke's gone," she said quietly. But no matter how many times she said it, it still didn't sink in. Angry tears welled in her eyes. "He shouldn't have died!" she shouted. "He was caught in the middle of a desperate fight. He was just being used as Orochimaru's tool!"

"And me. It's my fault too," she said with guilt and self disgust. "I couldn't push through the river. I couldn't help Sasuke. He was far away on the other side. He passed on worried and warning. Because of me, he was carried away by a moonlight shadow." Tears coursed down Sakura's face but she didn't bother to stop them. To her, they were the reminder of her weakness. She gripped her hair tightly, as if to pull it out, as her anguished cries filled the area. There was no one there to share her pain. She was alone.

For the next several minutes, Sakura tried to calm herself, all the while tears streamed silently down her cheeks. The trees around her seemed to whisper "Carried away by a moonlight shadow." They sang a song of sorrow and grieving which helped comfort the girl. Soon, she lied down, deciding to get some rest. Her body was numb from all her crying and shortly after she found herself drifting off to sleep. "I couldn't find how to push through," she said softly before waves of sleep washed over her.

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"Sakura… where are you?" called a voice. In a trance –like state, Sakura moved towards the disembodied voice. Coming into a clearing, she watched a figure forming on the far side of the open space. They seemed familiar, but Sakura couldn't recognize the person. Their face seemed to be hidden. 

"Sakura?" the person asked turning to face her. He started walking towards her and she found her feet moving of their own accord. They met halfway before the boy spoke again. "Will you come talk with me this night?"

"Night? But it's four am in the morning," Sakura said, unsure of how she knew this. As if it would have the answer, Sakura looked up at the sky. A star was glowing in the silvery night, which gave Sakura an idea, despite the fact that it was childish. She was going to make a wish. She knew exactly what she was going to wish for too. She was going to wish for Sasuke to come back to life. But her mouth said something completely different. "I wish I could see your face," she said to the person in front of her. When she said this, she covered her mouth with her hands. "No!" she said desperately, shaking her head as if that would take the words back. "What I meant was I wish Sasuke would come back to life!"

The boy in front of her turned his head towards her and said, "You know that can't happen."

Sakura gasped. "Sasuke!" she cried, launching herself on him in a hug. She didn't know how this was possible, but she didn't question it. She had Sasuke back and that was all that mattered.

"Sakura stop," Sasuke said harshly. This tone caught Sakura's attention so she stepped away from him.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Listen Sakura," began Sasuke. "You need to live your life to its fullest."

"I will silly, now let's get back to Konoha. We're already late returning. Besides, we need to get your wounds chec—"

"No Sakura. I can't go back," Sasuke said.

"Why?" Sakura asked perplexed.

Sasuke gave her a ghost of a smile. "Because I'm dead," he answered. As he said this, a small stream flowed between them, creating a separation. Before Sakura could say anything else, Sasuke continued, "You need to find love and—"

"I already have! It's you I love Sasuke!" Sakura cut him off.

"You are really annoying," Sasuke hissed. "You don't love me. It's just some childhood obsession."

"No, that's not true! You're wrong! I do love you!" Sakura protested, tears forming in her eyes.

"Stop fooling yourself. It's something you force yourself to do. Besides," he said replacing his glare with a smirk, "I would never love you. In fact, I hate you. Just the sight of you makes me sick." The water between them began moving faster and was slowly beginning to widen.

Sasuke turned to leave, but Sakura caught his hand. "Sasuke, please," she pleaded. "Stay with me."

"No," he said cruelly. But Sakura didn't let go of his hand. "You just don't get it, do you?" Sasuke asked with venom in his voice. He put his hands on her shoulders as if to pull her in to an embrace. "Goodbye Sakura," he whispered as he shoved her backwards. "Don't follow me."

Sakura felt her body fall in through darkness before she opened her eyes and woke up. Sitting up, Sakura stared at her hand where she could still feel the warmth from Sasuke's hand that she held in hers. She rubbed her eyes and found that she was still crying.

Getting to her feet, Sakura ran with renewed vigor and strength towards Konoha. Once there, she went to the flower shop and told her story to Ino.

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**Heaven**

Sasuke missed her like crazy. What he told her had not been true, but he hid his emotions under callous words to keep Sakura from wanting to be with him. He just wanted to see her happy.

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**Earth: Present**

After the girl had gotten her tears under control, she turned to the boy next to her. "Hey, Naruto?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he replied. That was the first time he had spoken since they got to the cemetery.

"Do you think they're happy?" she knew it was a childish question, but she needed reassurance.

"Actually, I think they are," he said with a small smile.

"I really hope you're right," said Ino quietly, tears starting once again.

"Hey!" Both teens turned and saw a boy walking towards. "Naruto, Ino. Why are you still here? It's nearly sunset."

"Shikamaru!" Ino cried. "I miss them so much." Now she had buried her face in his chest as a fresh wave of sorrow washed over her.

"We found something at her house ya know," Shikamaru said quietly trying to soothe the upset girl. "I think you should see it, Ino."

Shikamaru pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Ino. With trembling hands she took it and opened it. Inside was a note and several pictures. Pulling out the note, she opened it and read with Naruto looking over her shoulder.

_Dear Ino,_

_You knew this would happen sooner or later. But don't worry about it because it's what I wanted. I left notes for a few other people, but make sure Naruto gets his okay? He can be such a baka sometimes, but I knew he meant well. I'm so happy right now, I feel as if I could float. Maybe I'll be able to in a little bit, ne? I'm gong to see Sasuke again! I wish you luck with Shika-kun. I'm going soon, but I pray to be able to see you from Heaven far away. It's time. Goodbye Ino-chan. _

_LuvLuv,_

_Sakura_

_ps. I finally won Ino-pig! I get to stay with Sasuke forever._

Giving a broken smile, Ino turned to the second grave. It was marked:

_Haruno Sakura_

_Died: age 17_

"_She finally found how to push through."_

"Well forehead girl, I don't need Sasuke. Maybe we'll cross paths again in the future, but for now I'm staying right here. I pray that I'll see you in Heaven one day."

Placing the note and pictures back in the envelope, Ino noticed a satin like material at the bottom of the. Pulling it out she realized it was the red ribbon she had given Sakura when they were little.

Naruto had left the moment he read there had been a letter for him. Now Shikamaru and Ino were the only ones left.

"Come on Ino, it's time to leave," Shikamaru said gently.

"Okay," Ino replied. "Just a few more minutes." Taking the red ribbon out once again, Ino tied it around the cloth that was placed over her bun. The ends were caught in the wind as Ino said, "Goodbye Sakura-chan. Rest in peace."

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**Heaven**

Sasuke felt like he was going crazy. He could have sworn he heard _her_ calling his name. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of strawberry pink. Turning quickly he found that nothing was there. Great, now he was hallucinating too.

"Looking for me? I thought you hated me," said a sly voice behind him.

"Sakura?" he asked in disbelief. His eyes took in Sakura's form. She was wearing a white satin dress that stopped just above her knees and a halo adorned her head. She looked so pure.

"So, did you miss me?" she asked, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"I told you not to follow me," Sasuke said avoiding the question.

"Why should I listen to you?" Sakura said putting her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow.

Sasuke shook his head at her ever ready response. "Because you love me," he said smirking.

"Oh that's right," Sakura said in mock remembrance. "Well, love ya sweetie." Waving at him, Sakura stuck her tongue out playfully before she spun on her heel and flounced away.

"Love you too," Sasuke said quietly, but Sakura didn't hear him. Smiling to himself, Sasuke followed the pink haired angel in front of him.

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**A/N: Well I hope you liked it! I'm working on a few other oneshots right now, so hopefully I'll update soon! Please R&R. it makes me very happy when I get reviews. Look at some of my other stories too, m'kay? Ja ne!**

**Here are the lyrics for _Moonlight Shadow_ by Groove Coverage:**

**The last that ever she saw him, carried away by a moonlight shadow  
He passed on worried and warning, carried away by a moonlight shadow  
Lost in the riddle last Saturday night, far away on the other side,  
he was caught in the middle of a desperate fight, and she couldn't find how to push through. **

The trees that whisper in the evening, carried away by a moonlight shadow  
Sing the song of sorrow and grieving, carried away by a moonlight shadow  
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun, far away on the other side,  
He was shot six times by a man on the run, and she couldn't find how to push through.

I stay, I pray, I see you in heaven far away,  
I stay, I pray, I see you in heaven one day

**  
Four a.m. in the morning, carried away by a moonlight shadow  
I watched your vision forming, carried away by a moonlight shadow  
Star was glowin' in a silvery night, far away on the other side,  
Will you come to talk to me this night, but she couldn't find how to push through. **

I stay, I pray, I see you in heaven far away,  
I stay, I pray, I see you in heaven one day


End file.
